


Did you hit your head when you fell from heaven?

by psychotrashdump



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Obliviousness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25686616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychotrashdump/pseuds/psychotrashdump
Summary: In which Zhengting is completely oblivious to Xukun’s flirting and Xukun is running out of ideas.~“Did you hit your head when you fell from heaven?”“Huh?”“Because I’ve been flirting with you for the past month and brain damage is the only logical reason why you haven’t noticed.”
Relationships: Cai Xukun/Zhu Zhengting | Jung Jung
Comments: 3
Kudos: 68





	Did you hit your head when you fell from heaven?

“Oh wow, you look beautiful today.”

Xukun was talking to Zhengting, but that didn’t stop everyone within earshot from turning to stare at him. Xiaogui’s jaw dropping in an almost comical manner as he stared at them with a confused expression on his face.

Zhengting looked surprised for a second before his expression settled into a sort of fond amusement, “You need a favor and Justin told you I’m weak against flattery?” he assumed.

Xukun smiled, not missing a beat, “Nope. I just think that shade of blue looks lovely against your skin.” he improvised, hoping he looked charming and confident instead of nervous and jittery.

“Thank you!” Zhengting said brightly, “This sweater actually belongs to Chengcheng, but I’m sure he’d let you borrow it if you asked.”

Xukun willed himself to maintain his smile, internally wondering how in hell Zhengting came to the conclusion that the sweater was the focus of his compliment.  Before he could say anything else, Justin and Chengcheng walked through the door, drawing Zhengting’s attention away.

Xukun hardly had time to sigh in frustration when Xiaogui appeared at his side, Ziyi following behind him.

“What was that? Were you- did you- are you flirting with Zhengting?” Xiaogui asked incredulously, loud enough to draw a confused look from Linong, who abandoned his book to join the conversation.

“Nope.” Xukun responded sourly, “Apparently I was complimenting Chengcheng’s sweater.”

Ziyi tried for a sympathetic look, but Xukun could see him fighting a smile. “Better luck next time bro.”

Linong looked thoughtfully at Zhengting, “Maybe compliment something that isn’t his clothing? That way it’s harder for him to do that thing where he redirects compliments because he’s bad at accepting them.”

“Compliment his hair?” Xiaogui suggested.

Ziyi shook his head, “Last time I did that he started talking about our styling team.”

“There are other ways to flirt besides compliments,” Linong added, “you could try showing affection in other ways.”

"Are you guys really giving me advice on flirting right now? I feel like I'm either in some weird fever dream or you guys have all gone crazy."

Linong pouted, "Stop being dramatic, we're trying to help here."

Xukun rolled his eyes, “Okay, okay, I’ll take your advice. Since all of you seem sooo experienced on the subject matter.”

Ziyi smirked, “Make sure we’re around next time you hit on him, this is the most entertainment I’ve had in weeks.”

Xukun smacked him, “As if. Keep your nose out of my business.”

"Sure, sure, we'll make sure to do that."

~

They didn’t. 

Xiaogui and Ziyi began to loiter around Xukun almost everywhere he went, even Linong took to moving room to room with them, casually keeping within hearing distance. Deciding to ignore them, Xukun approached the couch Zhengting was seated on, flopping down beside him and slinging his arm around Zhengting’s shoulders.

Zhengting jolted slightly, attention snapping from his phone to the person now sitting next to him.

He pouted, “Don’t do that! You know I’m easily startled.”

Xukun didn’t bother hiding the fondness in his expression as he took in Zhengting’s pouting expression, “You’re so cute when you do that.”

Zhengting wrinkled his nose, “I’m not cute.”

Xukun laughed, “Are you kidding? That right there,” he gestured towards Zhengting’s expression, “is super adorable.”

Zhengting rolled his eyes, deciding not to argue. He set down his phone and shifted to face Xukun, “Did you need something?” he questioned.

Momentarily distracted by the close proximity, Xukun realized belatedly that he really didn’t have a plan. What was he supposed to do now? “Did I need a reason to sit here?” he stalled, “Maybe your presence is just soothing.”

He saw Linong make a face from across the room, shaking his head and rushing to scribble something on a paper before holding it up.

“ASK HIM OUT”

Zhengting gave Xukun a concerned look, unaware of Linong’s antics behind his back, “Are you feeling overworked? You look a little stressed out.”

Xukun schooled his face into a slightly subdued smile, a plan coming together in his mind.

“Yeah, I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.” he said, hoping he sounded just sullen enough to be believable, “I guess I felt like bothering you because I’m always happier around you.”

Zhengting scoffed, “Don’t be ridiculous, you’re not bothering me. Is there anything I could do to help?”

“Well, I was thinking we could get out of here for a bit, go for a walk, maybe get some ice cream?” Xukun gave Zhengting a hopeful smile, catching Linong giving him a thumbs up from across the room.

“That sounds great! It might be a while before Zhangjing and Yanjun are back though, and I wouldn’t want the seven of us to go without them.”

Xukun could barely keep his smile from falling off his face. “Of course," he sighed, hoping his frustration didn't seep into his voice, "I forgot they were out. We can always go another time.”

  
  


Zhengting looked slightly puzzled, “Are you sure? You seem a bit wound up.”

Xukun laughed, leaning closer and glancing through his lashes to look Zhengting in the eye, “Don’t worry sweetheart, I’m just a bit tired, mind if I sleep here?” he asked, gesturing to Zhengting’s lap.

Zhengting frowned, “Why would you want to sleep on the couch when you have a perfectly good bed? I mean, of course if you really want to I can find somewhere else to sit. It’s no problem.”

At this point Xukun was ready to scream in frustration, how was it possible for someone to be so completely oblivious?  He was almost relieved when Xiaogui dragged him off, making some excuse about needing fashion advice before herding him into a room along with Ziyi and Linong.

As soon as the door closed Xukun let out a frustrated groan and the others dissolved into laughter.

“I can’t believe that actually happened,” Xiaogui wheezed, “I can’t tell if you’re hopeless at flirting or if he’s just amazingly unobservant.”

“Maybe that was just his nice way of rejecting you.” Ziyi suggested helpfully.

Linong shook his head, “I really think Zhengzheng just hasn’t noticed. Romance and flirting is probably the furthest thing from his mind.”

Xukun contemplated that, “So I should bring that to his mind? That could make my intentions more obvious.”

“Dude, why don’t you just straight up ask him out?” Xiaogui questioned, “Skip the frills and tell him you like him.”

“Ugh, no. That sounds like a horrible idea.” Xukun shuddered, “You know I don’t like doing the feelings thing. Not immediately anyway.”

“I have an idea,” Linong started, “But you probably won’t like it.”

Xukun raised an eyebrow, “Go on.”

“Promise you’ll let me finish talking before judging.”

Xukun gave him a suspicious look, “Sure…....”

“We tell Zhangjing.”

“Nope. Not doing that. Idea vetoed.”

Linong pouted, “You said you would let me talk! We tell Zhangjing,” he continued, ignoring Xukun’s look of childish disgust, “He can give us his insight as both someone who knows Zhengzheng well and someone who was flirted with and didn’t notice.”

“Pretty good idea actually,” Ziyi commented, “Zhangjing was also completely oblivious to Yanjun’s flirting for the longest time. He could know what Zhengting might be thinking.”

“Maybe,” Xukun conceded, “But only as a last resort option, I’d prefer not to get anyone else involved.”

“Whatever you say Kunkun.”

~

“So, I was talking to Nongnong earlier….”

Xukun turned towards Zhangjing, a feeling of dread creeping over him, “What did he say?”

“He mentioned that you’ve been courting Zhengting- “

Xukun groaned. Of course he did. 

“Tell me everything!” Zhangjing insisted, looking almost giddy in his excitement, “What’s your plan for wooing him?”

“My plan,” Xukun started, mind leafing through the events of the past few days, “is not going very well.” he admitted.

Zhangjing nodded, gesturing for him to continue.

Xukun sighed, recounting the events of the past week in his head, “I’m pretty sure I’ve called him every variation of beautiful and just yesterday I asked to sleep on his lap and called him sweetheart.”

Zhangjing hummed thoughtfully, “Well, I feel like those are all fairly normal things. Ziyi and Yanjun are both pretty liberal with compliments. Zhengzheng, Justin, and Chengcheng sleep on each other all the time. And Yanjun’s nickname for him is sweetheart.”

Xukun’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, “Yanjun calls him what?”

Zhangjing ignored him, “He probably just thinks you’re being friendly. Or just teasing him. Yanjun flirts with most of his friends, so Zhengzheng’s probably normalized it by now.”

“What do I do then?” Xukun grumbled, sounding disgruntled, “Buy him flowers and wax poetic about the color of his eyes?”

Zhangjing shrugged, “Why not?”

~

“Those contacts are really striking, the gray eyes against your pale skin gives you a very otherworldly appearance. You look beautiful.”

Zhengting looked startled for a moment, staring at Xukun for a moment before breaking into a hesitant smile, “Thanks? I really like the color of your contacts too, the blue looks good with your hair color.”

Xukun gave an easy smile, trying for nonchalance as he took Zhengting’s hand and walked him towards their dressing room. 

“I think blonde suits you more than me, you looked absolutely angelic with your golden hair and pretty smile. It was really quite breathtaking.”

He glanced over to see that startled look on Zhengting’s face again, his mouth open like he wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words. 

Xukun smiled, letting his eyes take on a flirtatious glint, “What is it darling? Did I overdo it?”

Zhengting laughed, breaking out of his shock, “What is this? Are you trying to get me to dye my hair blonde again? Why would you want that?”

“What? That’s not what-”

“Zheng ge! Come here, Justin got his earring tangled in his hair!”

Zhengting laughed under his breath, giving Xukun an apologetic smile before pulling his hand from his grip and jogging to catch up with Justin and Chengcheng.  “Can’t you kids go two seconds without a minor catastrophe?” Zhengting teased, threading his fingers carefully through Justin’s hair to examine the metal chain tangled in it. 

Xukun watched them for a second, their overwhelming familiarity suddenly becoming annoyingly apparent. He was going to need an excuse to spend more time with Zhengting.

~

“Why are we changing rooms?”

Xukun lounged on his bed, watching Zhengting unpack his things. “I thought it would be nice for everyone to have a change of pace. What, not happy with your new roommate?” Xukun teased.

Zhengting laughed, turning to face Xukun, “What, are there some embarrassing habits I should be aware of?”

Xukun smiled, gesturing to the empty space on his bed, “You have to talk to me to find out.”

Zhengting climbed onto Xukun’s bed, sitting cross legged across from him, “Do your worst Kunkun~” he teased, “Doubt any of your habits will be as annoying as mine.”

"You could never actually annoy me." Xukun chuckled, “Well, I periodically stay up very late when I’m lyrically inspired.”

Zhengting cringed, “Yikes. That doesn’t bode well for me.”

Xukun’s face fell, “Oh. Uh, I could always go somewhere el-”

Zhenging’s eyes widened, “That’s not what I meant! I just, um….” he broke off, looking slightly sheepish, “I sleep talk.”

Xukun made a surprised noise, that wasn’t what he expected.

“Ughhh,” Zhengting groaned, leaning down to rest his head on Xukun’s knee, hiding his face in the process, “It's just that if you’re awake you’ll hear all the weird things I say in my sleep! It’s going to be embarrassing.”

Xukun laughed, moving his hand to rest lightly on top of Zhengting’s head. A feeling of relief washing over him when Zhengting didn’t remove his head from Xukun’s knee, continuing to grumble to himself instead.

“  _ I  _ don’t even know what I say in my sleep!” he lamented, turning his head to look up at Xukun, “I’m going to say something horribly embarrassing.”

Xukun stroked Zhengting’s hair gently, “Don’t worry,” he assured, “I’ll probably think it’s cute.”

Zhengting snorted, “You say that now.” He shifted, stretching out his body so that he lay more comfortably across the bed, his head still in Xukun’s lap.

His eyes fluttered closed, humming contentedly at the sensation of Xukun’s fingers running through his hair.  Xukun smiled indulgently down at Zhengting, noting how long his lashes were, how peaceful and still he looked, like he’d been carved from stone......

“You’re gorgeous.” Xukun blurted, not really thinking.

Zhengting didn’t open his eyes, but his brow furrowed slightly in confusion, “That was...unexpected. What brought this on?”

Xukun ran his fingers through Zhengting’s hair, reveling in the softness, “You look very peaceful,” he continued, “almost doll-like. It’s captivating.”

Zhengting huffed, swatting half heartedly at Xukun, “Stop teasing me.”

“Not a joke my love, this is just how I see you.”

Zhengting snorted, opening his eyes to look up at Xukun, “What’s with you lately? You've been acting different. And you have a weird look on your face.”

Xukun shrugged, “Well, There must be something wrong with my eyes, since I can’t seem to take them off of you.”

“Wow, so smooth~” a voice crowed, “Has our Kunkun finally gotten his shit together?”

Xukun shot a halfhearted glare towards where Xiaogui loitered at their doorway, “What are you doing here?” 

He reluctantly removed his hand from Zhengting’s hair as he pushed himself to a sitting position. “What’s up? Did you need us for something?”

“Zhangjing wants you in the kitchen,” Xiaogui informed him, moving out of the doorway, “Unless you’re busy?”

Zhengting shook his head, getting up, “No, I have time.” he looked over his shoulder, smiling, “Xukun can always find someone else to tease yeah?”

Xukun gave a strained smile, watching as Zhengting left the room. He turned to Xiaogui, disbelief written across his face, “Does he think I’m joking? He realizes that this isn’t supposed to be a platonic exchange. Right?”

Xiaogui shrugged, “Beats me man. I’m not the best at reading people, ask Linong or something.”

~

“You said what?” Linong stared at him, looking like he was about to burst out laughing, “If you say things like that of course he’ll think you’re joking!”

Xukun grumbled to himself, resisting the urge to whine like a child, “First I’m not obvious enough, now I’m too over the top. How about you just tell me what to say and I’ll recite it verbatim.”

Linong rolled his eyes fondly, “Just be less dramatic with the compliments. I think using terms of endearment are cute. Spending time alone is also good.”

“Make it clear you actually want to spend time with him, or he’ll think it’s just because you happen to be roommates now.” Ziyi added.

Xukun sighed, “I’ll try. But if I fail it’s you guys’ fault.”

~

“Good morning sunshine.”

Zhengting looked up from his mug of tea, “You’re awake! It’s still pretty early.”

Xukun shrugged, leaning against the counter, “Woke up early and couldn’t go back to sleep,” he lied, hoping his desire to go back to sleep wasn't showing, “thought I might as well come join you.”

Zhengting looked skeptical, eyes lingering on the dark circles under Xukun’s eyes, “Are you sure? You still look pretty tired.”

Xukun laughed, “Well, not everyone can wake up pretty like you. We normal humans don’t start functioning until the sun’s fully risen.”

“Want some tea?” he offered, “Might help you wake up.”

Xukun shook his head, “How about we go on a walk?” he suggested, “Some fresh air sounds pretty nice.”

“Sure,” Zhengting agreed, finishing his tea and rinsing out the cup, “Let’s go.”

~

There was something peaceful about the stillness of mornings. Xukun couldn’t help but smile when he saw Zhengting stop to smell a flower. 

He hurried to catch up, falling in beside Zhengting, “Your hand looks heavy, need me to hold it for you?” Xukun asked, mouth curled into a flirtatious smile.

Zhengting giggled, taking Xukun’s hand, “You’re such a dork. I swear you’ve been acting different recently. Did something happen?”

“Don’t worry love, everything’s perfect.”

Zhengting gave him a dubious look, studying Xukun’s face carefully. “If you say so.”

“What? Am I really acting that different?”

Zhengting frowned slightly, his lips forming a pout the way they did whenever he was thinking, “You’re a lot friendlier. More comfortable.” he decided.  He made eye contact with Xukun, a slightly hopeful look on his face, “I hope this means we’ve become better friends? Close enough that you can be this open.”

Xukun sighed, feeling a familiar rush of frustration, “Babe. You’re killing me here. I thought it would be obvious that I like you at this point.”

“Oh! Uh, I mean,” Zhengting stammered, “I just….I don’t want to assume that we’re close friends since I don’t know what you’re thinking and……”

Zhengting continued to ramble, completely oblivious to Xukun’s disbelieving stare. Did Zhengting really interpret “I like you” as “I like you as a friend”? How was that even possible? Was "like" not strong enough of a word?

Xukun squeezed Zhengting’s hand, pulling him out of his nervous rambling, “Stop worrying angel, I love you, if you’re ever unsure of my feelings just ask okay?”

Zhengting looked startled for a moment before breaking out into a smile, “Thank you for saying that. I’m glad you’ve been a lot more comfortable around me recently, I really am lucky to have a friend like you.”

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDI-

~

Xukun was going to scream. He’d gone from “I like you” to “I love you” and Zhengting remained as clueless as ever. 

Zhengting had progressed from laying on Xukun’s bed with his head in Xukun's lap to now laying against Xukun with his head resting against Xukun’s chest. Not that he was complaining, but if Zhengting saw this as friendly behavior it made Xukun wonder how affectionate he was with the others.

“Are you tired?” Zhengting asked, tilting his head up to look at Xukun and letting his phone drop onto the mattress, “You’re breathing sounds sleepy. You slept late last night didn’t you?”

Xukun shook his head in disbelief, “How is it that you notice the smallest things but are completely oblivious to other, very obvious, things?”

“What do you mean?” Zhengting asked, confusion coloring his voice.

Xukun let out a puff of laughter, “You can deduct my sleep schedule from my breathing, yet you can smile that entrancingly beautiful smile of yours and not realize how completely enamored I am?"

Zhengting smacked the arm Xukun had wrapped around his waist, but didn’t make any attempt to wriggle out of his grip, “Hey! If you just slept on time I wouldn’t have to bother you about it!”

He could barely hold back from groaning in frustration. Did Zhengting go deaf halfway through Xukun’s sentence? Because he seemed to be partially amnesic towards the part where Xukun basically confessed his love. Again.

Xukun sighed and pressed a kiss to the top of Zhengting’s head, feeling a sort of fond exasperation come over him. “Your hair’s so soft,” he mentioned, changing the subject, “I like it like this, don’t cut it short again?”

Zhengting nodded, leaning into the feeling of Xukun’s fingers against his scalp, “I like it like this too.”

Zhengting returned his attention to his phone, their conversation lapsing into a comfortable silence. Xukun let his fingers wander from Zhengting’s hair down to his jaw, his thumb stroking lightly over his bottom lip.

“Your lips are so soft.”

Zhengting hummed absently, attention still fixed on whatever article he was scrolling through.

“Give me a kiss?” Xukun suggested, voice taking on a flirtatious tone, “I promise I’ll give it back.”

Zhengting looked up at Xukun again, amusement written on his face, “Are you asking for a goodnight kiss?”

Xukun smiled teasingly, “Depends, is that the only type of kiss you’re willing to give me?”

Zhengting sat up, laughing, “If it means you’ll sleep this early I’ll give you as many goodnight kisses as you want.”

Xukun shrugged, mouth curling into a playful smile, “Guess I’m going to sleep then. It’ll be the first time in years I’ve slept before 10pm.”

Zhengting smiled, kissing Xukun on the forehead before getting up, “I’ll turn the lights out then. Goodnight.”

~

“I’m completely out of ideas. I've done everything short of professing my undying love in the middle of our kitchen.”

“Why the kitchen?”

Xukun threw a pillow at Linong, “Really? That’s what you’re focusing on?”

Linong pouted, hugging the pillow, “Well you didn’t give any other details!”

“I’ve gone through every positive descriptive adjective and about a dozen different pet names.”

“Well, that’s still-”

“I literally complimented his lips.” Xukun griped, cutting Linong off, “I don’t think I could be more obvious if I tried.”

Xiaogui broke out laughing and Ziyi gave Xukun a look of absolute shock, “You did?”

“Yes!” he vented, “I even asked for a fucking kiss right after that!”

Ziyi doubled over, shaking with laughter, “Oh my god bro, I can’t believe I missed that.”

“How would he even misinterpret that?” Linong asked, looking thoroughly confused.

Xukun sighed, flopping back onto the bed, “Beats me. I swear to god next time I see him I’ll straight up just kiss him. See how he puts a platonic spin on that.”

“Kunkun…” Linong started, his voice disapproving, “No doing anything drastic until you’re thinking clearly again. You guys are practically dating already, just mention that to him and he’ll take the hint. I think. Probably.”

“Probably not.” Xiaogui snorted, “I outright asked whether you were his boyfriend now and he responded with ‘don’t be silly Xukun doesn’t see me that way’. I say you go with the making out strategy.”

Linong smacked Xiaogui lightly on the shoulder, “Stop enabling him.” he scolded.  He turned back to Xukun, “Do something less drastic. Preferably with more talking."

“Talking’s probably a good idea,” Ziyi cut in, “Tingting’s too cautious to make assumptions when it comes to more important things.”

“Also he’s definitely in love with you,” Linong added, “So you don’t have to worry about being rejected.”

Xukun took a deep breath, his previous frustrations subsiding for now, “Okay. Good to know. Guess I just have to try again.”

~

Where the hell did all that self assured confidence go? It was so easy to switch into that state of mind when performing, so why the hell couldn’t he do it right now?

He could hear the sounds of everyone eating breakfast outside. The clinking of silverware. People talking. Zhengting laughing.

You can do this. Just stick to the script. Smile. Be charming. Open the goddamn door. Stop stalling. 

“Xukun! Finally joining us?”

Of course Xiaogui felt like advertising his existence the moment he walked in. Lovely. 

Xukun put on his most charming smile, his confidence (thankfully) not wavering as he strided across the room to where Zhengting had looked up from rinsing his plate to give him a welcoming smile.

Before Zhengting could open his mouth to greet him, Xukun grabbed his face and planted a kiss right on his mouth.  He let the contact linger for a second before pulling back and grinning, “Morning beautiful, go on a date with me?”

Zhengting stared at him in shock, body frozen in place and face quickly turning red. “Wh-”

“I’m in love with you by the way,” Xukun interrupted, “In case you were going to try finding a platonic justification for that.”

Zhengting made a strangled whining sound, crouching down to hide his face between his knees, “You can’t just say that!” he yelped, “I can’t- ugh, kill me now.”

Ignoring the people dying of laughter and Chengcheng’s confused voice asking what he missed, Xukun stooped next to Zhengting and stroked his hair soothingly, “Babe, you okay?”

Zhengting let out a groan, “You’ve called me ‘babe’ probably hundreds of times before now, how did I not notice?”

Xukun laughed, “I’ve also complimented everything from your voice to your collarbones-”

“Don’t remind me!” Zhengting whined, giving him a gentle shove, “My mind is still replaying every interaction we’ve had in the past month- oh god you literally referred to me as your husband last week and I-” he broke off, groaning again, “I’m going to die of embarrassment.”

Xukun chuckled, “How about you  _ don’t _ do that, and you see a movie with me tonight?”

Zhengting smiled warily up at him, “Just to clarify, this  _ is _ a date right?”

Xukun couldn’t help but laugh, dropping a kiss on Zhengting’s still flushed cheek, “Yes. It is a date. We are dating. Is that okay with you?”

Zhengting’s smile widened, his eyes shining the way they do whenever his smile can’t contain his happiness, “Nothing would make me happier.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Comments are always appreciated!


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